Creativity in Process
A new year and my creative spirit is soaring. I am often asked by my younger creative colleagues about my painting process when I head into the studio . This "beginning canvas" I am showing you is at a very early stage of my process. I am a colourist. If I could spend all of my time mixing colour I think I would be a happy artist. Colour is energy and there are different energies in every colour .
As part of my creative process, I am forever cutting out sayings and phrases and words that feed my creative spirit. This one is a current favourite-
" Seeing is believing , and sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." [ Tom Hanks as the conductor in The Polar Express].
The living spirit in nature is as real to me as breathing but we need to find our own way to connect with the unseeing in nature . So, capturing this thing that we can't see - in colour, and line and brushstroke is always a fascinating journey for me as I face each new blank canvas.
I start with colours - what colours do I want to play with today ? ...... As I am absorbing the work and colour magic of Wolf Khan these days, I take inspiration from his art and especially his freedom to put colour on canvas.
Step 2 is to decide on the size of canvas . Bold colour requires larger canvases in order to feel that real thing we can't see. The size of my studio is a challenge in this regard but in 2015 I am going to tackle some much larger canvases. [ Stay tuned].
I like to start with a white canvas, but I do want my paintbrush to be able to glide and scrub and scratch so I do gesso the canvas and use some kind of base paint in white or off-white .... and then I lay on a strong colour that I am going to play with . I usually do a combination of hot and cool ..... this canvas is an orange to maroon brown .
Step three is the composition itself. Where is the focus of the unseen energy ? Where are the connections within the natural elements - the sky to the land, the land to water, the land to trees, to sky. Where does the magic of the sky energy touch all of the other natural elements? I use a crayon [ conte ] in white to simply create lines of energy. There are too many lines on this canvas. I will simplify as I begin painting by adding one line and then another as I move around the canvas . Many lines will disappear as the colour is mixed and the lines begin to vibrate against each other. I paint the connection of pattern and colour vibration against each other.
Now is when I begin to play . If the unseen energy comes out of the canvas, this painting will be a success. If it doesn't want to show itself to me.... the canvas will be relegated to a corner and painted over. I'll let you know how it goes.
Happy and Creative 2015 to everyone.
As part of my creative process, I am forever cutting out sayings and phrases and words that feed my creative spirit. This one is a current favourite-
" Seeing is believing , and sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." [ Tom Hanks as the conductor in The Polar Express].
The living spirit in nature is as real to me as breathing but we need to find our own way to connect with the unseeing in nature . So, capturing this thing that we can't see - in colour, and line and brushstroke is always a fascinating journey for me as I face each new blank canvas.
I start with colours - what colours do I want to play with today ? ...... As I am absorbing the work and colour magic of Wolf Khan these days, I take inspiration from his art and especially his freedom to put colour on canvas.
Step 2 is to decide on the size of canvas . Bold colour requires larger canvases in order to feel that real thing we can't see. The size of my studio is a challenge in this regard but in 2015 I am going to tackle some much larger canvases. [ Stay tuned].
I like to start with a white canvas, but I do want my paintbrush to be able to glide and scrub and scratch so I do gesso the canvas and use some kind of base paint in white or off-white .... and then I lay on a strong colour that I am going to play with . I usually do a combination of hot and cool ..... this canvas is an orange to maroon brown .
Step three is the composition itself. Where is the focus of the unseen energy ? Where are the connections within the natural elements - the sky to the land, the land to water, the land to trees, to sky. Where does the magic of the sky energy touch all of the other natural elements? I use a crayon [ conte ] in white to simply create lines of energy. There are too many lines on this canvas. I will simplify as I begin painting by adding one line and then another as I move around the canvas . Many lines will disappear as the colour is mixed and the lines begin to vibrate against each other. I paint the connection of pattern and colour vibration against each other.
Now is when I begin to play . If the unseen energy comes out of the canvas, this painting will be a success. If it doesn't want to show itself to me.... the canvas will be relegated to a corner and painted over. I'll let you know how it goes.
Happy and Creative 2015 to everyone.
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